You can now use MTN to pay for your flights when booking through Alternative Airlines. Just search for flights as normal and simply select MTN as your payment method when you decide to book.

Enabling people to make financial transactions using their cellphones, and bringing them entertainment and online shopping through investments in mobile platforms, apps and online ventures.

Available in the following countries:

Zambia

Uganda

Swaziland

South Africa

Rwanda

Liberia

Ivory Coast

Guinea Conakry

Cameroon

Congo

What are Mobile Payments?

Whether it is booking travel, buying online, paying back loans, or sending money to friends and family, payments need to be made. Mobile payments make that process efficient and effective. Instead of cash and credit cards, mobile payments allow customers to use a mobile device, which they carry everywhere, to pay for goods and services.

In the African travel industry, mobile payments simplify the reservation process by enabling users with a mobile money account in any country to instantly make travel purchases in their home and foreign countries.

Benefits of Mobile Payment Solutions

Ability to Provide Financial Services

Mobile payments are a great solution for providing financial services to the unbanked population of the world (estimated at 50% of the world’s adult population, according to Financial Access’ 2009 Report “Half the World is Unbanked”). Because 70% of Africa now has mobile phones and banks in this part of the world are inaccessible to most of the population, mobile payment solutions are an effective way to supply the banking services needed by the people.

Alternative Airlines, the specialist online travel agent in booking lesser known and niche destinations, is delighted to announce it accepts MTN on all of its websites. MTN allows customers to pay through their mobile, at a pace that is suitable and comfortable for them.

Commercial Manager Sam Argyle, stated, “At Alternative Airlines, we are always trying to make flight bookings easier for our customers. Adding a payment method like MTN was a natural fit as many of our customers like using MTN to enjoy the ease and comfort that MTN offers."

News

9th August 2017

MTN Nigeria has announced the appointment of Tobechukwu Nkemdilim Okigbo as its new Corporate Relations Executive

A statement signed by MTN PR and Protocol Manager Funso Aina yesterday said Okigbo was appointed to provide deep insight on strategy and drive targeted engagement with critical stakeholders.

Reputed for his exemplary work ethic and result-oriented approach to work, Okigbo is well-positioned to add significant value to MTN as he brings an excellent track record and vast experience to the role, according to the statement.

With close to 30 years professional experience in the Legal and Telecommunication sectors, Okigbo is a qualified lawyer; an alumnus of the University of Maiduguri, Nigeria and the University of Liverpool, England where he graduated with an MBA.

Okigbo joined MTN from Smile Communications where he was Chief Corporate Services Officer.

He began his career in 1990 as a Legal Counsel at Eddie Ntephe and Co. Since then he has worked as a consultant to the Federal Government, an advisor to several businesses, a volunteer Business Consultant and the Political Editor of a newspaper.

Okigbo, who is a Centre For Effective Dispute Resolution (CEDR UK) certified resolution professional, was Manager (North) at the Negotiation and Conflict Management Group and led the team that set up the Abuja Multi-Door Courthouse.

8th August 2017

MTN aims for 300m group subscribers by 2020

MTN CEO Rob Shuter believes the group can grow its customer base to 300 million customers by 2020, adding around 68 million customers over the next three-and-a-half years.

Shuter, who joined MTN as group CEO and president on 13 March, revealed the goal at the group's interim results presentation in Johannesburg last week.

Currently MTN operates in 22 countries in Africa and the Middle East, and at the end of June, had a total of 231.8 million subscribers across its footprint. The telecoms operator saw group subscribers drop 3.6% over the first six months of the currently financial year ? partially impacted by MTN's new initiative to modernise its subscriber definitions to better reflect truly active customers.

As part of a long-term vision for the business, Shuter explained his targets for subscriber growth under what he calls the "100, 200, 300 strategy".

"[By 2020] can we have 300 million customers as opposed to the around 230 [million] now? That means population growth but also market share gains, so we need to outcompete the competition. Of the 300 million can we have 200 million active data customers? That's two-thirds of the base; today we have around 72 million of 230 million. And finally, of the 200 million can we have 100 million actively using an MTN digital service?

"So we are basically going from an 18, 72, 230 world to a 100, 200, 300 world. We know that if we execute that deliberately, if we keep an eye on the opex and capex and manage the business well ? I think we can really generate a very good performance out of the company. Exactly how we model that out over the next three years, we will have to see how we tackle that," he said.

Shuter explained the target is based on demographic trend predictions which underpin growth across MTN's markets. This includes general population growth in these countries, with particular focus on the potential rise in both data and digital subscribers for all mobile operators that operate in those geographies.

MTN estimates that by 2020, the population size in the 22 countries it operates in will grow by 45 million people to around 700 million in total.

"The second thing we are forecasting is actually that the consumption power of consumers in our geographies is going to improve as we move through the recessionary patterns, the poor macro [environment], the low oil prices and pressure on commodity prices. In general, we would like to see that lifting up over the next few years and that is obviously a very key metric when we are thinking about appetite for new services and for data affordability," he said.

The consumption per capita across its footprint is forecast to rise by $40 (R536) to $1 243 (R16 670), which means citizens will be consuming and spending more. Another key trend will be the accelerated adoption of data and digital services across the 22 markets. By 2020, overall data subscribers are predicted to grow by 200 million, to around 500 million across the footprint, and digital customers will rise by 150 million to a total of 250 million.

About Alternative Airlines

Alternative Airlines is an Online Travel Agency bonded by the International Air Transport Association (IATA). We specialise in finding the best available fares on the widest range of airlines and making them available to you online, with prices in the currency of your choice.

Alternative Airlines handles all your travel arrangements and payments, complete with ticketed confirmation. We do not direct you to other websites or service providers.

We help you through the process. This is what makes us Alternative Airlines.

Browse for flights, find some amazing deals, make a reservation and pay in the currency of your choice today with Alternative Airlines.

Let Alternative Airlines help find you the best prices and make international and domestic flight reservations with us today.

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How to pay

You can pay for your flights with Flights Online With MTN in the currency and payment method of your choice when booking through Alternative Airlines.

We accept PayPal making flight purchases with Flights Online With MTN easy and more secure for customers. PayPal is one of the leading forms of online payment, with more than 169 million accounts worldwide.